Sample Chapter-Himmler’s Gold

Himmler’s Gold Chapter 1
Eighty kilometers west of the Rhine River, the stark ruins of the city of Luxembourg stabbed bony fingers into the smoke filled sky as allied bombers droned overhead, dropping their loads of destruction on the Germans who occupied the area. Sporadic artillery fire could be heard in the distance as the allied armies advanced to the outskirts of the city. Hundreds of German soldiers could be seen, frantically looting museums and banks along the wide, cobblestone street, and loading the contents into trucks. The sky was dark, filled with smoke and dust and now and then a burst of anti-aircraft fire. Fires glowed in burning buildings, reflecting the destruction as if Hades, itself, had risen from the bowels of the city, consuming all living things. A long, black Mercedes, Reichsfuhrer identifying flags flapping on its fenders, was parked next to a canvas covered truck in front of a large, partially destroyed building. The huge, double glass doors of the building were broken and a gold-lined sign above the door pronounced it to be the Banque de Luxembourg. Several Wassen SS soldiers, dressed in their black uniforms, were busily carrying metal containers through the doors and loading them into the truck. An officer, immaculately dressed in black, his tunic decorated with ribbons and medals, the white double SS sewn on his collar and the death’s head emblem conspicuously displayed on his cap, stood next to the rear of the truck. A red arm band, high on his left arm, was emblazoned withthe ominous black swastika of the German Reich. “You there, soldier!” he shouted at one of the men who approached the truck with his metal container. “Put your canister here on the street so that I may examine its contents.” “Jawohl, Herr Reichsfuhrer Himmler,” the soldier said as he set the canister at Himmler’s feet and saluted. He stood at attention as Himmler lifted the lid, which was stenciled in black, “9 mm cartridges”. Dipping his hand into the opened canister, he smiled as he withdrew a handful of gold coins. Dropping the coins back into the ammo canister he closed the lid and motioned for the soldier to load it with the rest. Himmler took note that one hundred of the canisters had been loaded. Six months before, he had personally delivered the one hundred canisters to the bank, each containing one thousand gold krugerrands, and instructed the bank president to store them until he returned. He ordered the tail gate to be closed and two of the soldiers climbed into the rear of the truck, machine pistols held at ready while the other two SS soldiers climbed into the front and waited. Himmler stepped to the Mercedes where the driver was standing at attention, holding the rear door open. He glanced upward at the low flying bombers, cursed and entered the staff car. The driver maneuvered the Mercedes around a bomb crater and sped from the scene, followed closely by the gold laden truck. The Schutzstaffle, the hated SS, were Himmler’s personal army of psychopathic killers — murderers of the highest order. They tortured and murdered millions of Jews, Russians, Poles, Gypsies, and other conquered peoples. Their uniforms were black, carrying the death’s head skull as an emblem of their goals on the breast of their tunics and the front of their caps. The lightning bolt “double S” embroidered on their collars and tattooed on their arms struck fear into the hearts of any who came into contact with them. They controlled the hated Gestapo, the secret police, the guards in the concentration camps, all segments of the German political system, and ruled the conquered nations with an iron hand. They were the most feared and hated group in the world and pledged eternal allegiance to no one other than the Fuhrer himself, Adolf Hitler After the German Wehrmacht was defeated in the Battle of the Bulge in December of 1944, Allied
armies pushed closer and closer to the Rhine River, threatening an invasion of the German Fatherland. Reichsfuhrer Himmler recognizing that the end of the Third Reich was imminent, began to take steps to see that he and a few chosen leaders would be able to escape to Switzerland. However, they would need gold — millions of marks worth of gold!
Himmler could not take gold from the German banks for fear that the Fuhrer would discover his plans and have him shot. That gold he would find in bank vaults in the occupied countries of France, Belgium and Holland. As the German armies began their retreat, he issued an order to all of his SS troops who were occupying those nations to begin looting the banks and museums of their treasures and to transport those treasures to secret locations in Germany.
One of those secret locations was at the elite SS base at Dotzeim, Germany, in the mountains, a short distance east of the Rhine River. Himmler instructed his driver to head for Dotzeim. **** * The road was filled with vehicles of all kinds, winding through a continuous stream of disorganized German soldiers who were walking slowly to the east. The Mercedes, flags flapping, lights flashing and siren sounding, sped through the crowds. Himmler continually glanced to the rear, making certain the truck remained in view. Reaching the Rhine River at Mainz, the two vehicles crossed the damaged bridge, maneuvered through the smoking city and climbed a steep, winding road to the small village of Dotzeim. Continuing up the winding road, they stopped at the guard gate of the small base.
Low, dark clouds hung threateningly over the camp, as the two vehicles rushed through the gate. An inconspicuous sign at the gate pronounced it to be Schutzstaffle Nummer Eins, Dotzeim, Germany.
Perched on top of a small mountain and surrounded by beautiful forests of evergreens, the peaceful setting of the small, neat base failed to disclose the terror that these black-shirted troopers inside its barbed-wire enclosure had inflicted on the countryside. A bolt of lightning crashed in the forest behind the base and thunder rolled across the hills, a foreboding welcome for the commander of the German SS. Standartenfuhrer Ehrilich Hoffman, Kommandant of the SS base, stood at attention as Himmler’s command car, identifying flags flapping on the fenders, pulled to a stop. His right arm shot out in a stiff Sieg Heil salute. Two black-shirted guards, holding submachine guns, jumped from the truck and stood alertly, one on each side of the truck. “Welcome, Reichsfuhrer,” he said, as Himmler stepped from the automobile. Hoffman was pleased that Himmler was paying his SS camp a visit, even though he realized that the reason was probably bad. He had heard the reports — the Americans had stopped the Wehrmacht counter attack in Belgium and were rushing towards the Rhine. Himmler, unsmiling, returned the salute. Walking quickly past the camp Kommandant, he continued briskly to the door of the orderly room, followed by the nervous and sweating Colonel. A young private saluted and held the door open as the two officers, ignoring the salute, stepped into the spacious headquarters building. Entering the Colonel’s office, Himmler closed the door behind him. “Hoffman,” he said, “we have little time. The war is not going well. Our lines have collapsed in Belgium and our troops are retreating in disarray. Over three hundred thousand of our troops have been surrounded in the Ruhr Valley and have surrendered. I do not know how long before the American’s will cross the Rhine, but there is no doubt, they will cross! And once they have crossed, we will be unable to stop them. With the Russians pushing westward through Poland, our lines are too thin, we are unable to fight the battles on two fronts.” Hoffman could not believe that his commander was saying these words. The radio broadcasts by the Fuhrer in Berlin continued to advise the people that all was going well. Hoffman could see fear in Himmler’s eyes as he paced the floor and continued. “If we are captured, our fate is certain, we will all be hung for war crimes. I have decided we must make plans for our eventual
escape, once Deutschland has fallen. If we escape to Switzerland, we will be safe, and later we can travel to Argentina where even the government is sympathetic to our cause.” Colonel Hoffman had at one time been commander of the notorious Buchenwald death camp and realized that he would be among the first to feel the hangman’s noose if captured. “Ich verstahe, mein Fuhrer,” he replied.
Reaching into the pocket of his black uniform, Himmler pulled out a gold cigarette case, snapped it open and removed a cigarette. Colonel Hoffman noticed the shaking of Himmler’s hand as he placed the cigarette between his lips and attempted to light it. Quickly, the colonel pulled his lighter from his pocket and held it to the cigarette until the end glowed and his leader inhaled the first smoke. Himmler coughed, choked on the smoke, unable to control his nervousness.
Regaining his composure, he continued, “I have one hundred thousand gold krugerrands in the truck which I am leaving in your care here in the camp. I have made arrangements with the Banque de Suisse in Basel to receive and care for the coins until we send for them. Other SS Kommanders have received similar shipments with orders to personally escort them to Switzerland. I have also made arrangements with the government of Argentina to receive as many of our SS officers that can make their way to that country.” One hundred thousand gold krugerrands! Hoffman could not believe that the Reichsfuhrer would be carrying that much gold in an unescorted truck — and he certainly didn’t relish the idea that he would be responsible for its storage. He had no idea what one hundred thousand krugerrands was worth in German marks, but assumed it to be a considerable sum, perhaps in the millions. Pacing back and forth, Himmler continued, “We must not allow the Fuhrer to know our plans — after the failed attempt on his life, he would have us all shot. You must tell no one until we are certain that there is no hope of stopping the Americans. When that time comes, you must inform all of your officers to shed their uniforms and make their way to Switzerland or disappear into the ranks of the Wehrmacht. If they are caught wearing the uniforms of the Schutzstaffle, there is no doubt that they will be tried for war crimes and hung.” Placing his hand to his forehead in desperation, he paused, as if not knowing how to continue. Finally, he said, “The gold is stored in nine-millimeter ammunition canisters in the back of the truck, one thousand to the canister. You will keep them here until I determine that there is no hope for us to negotiate a peace. You must guard them with your life until you hear from me. Only you and your adjutant must know what is in the truck.” Nervously, Hoffman asked, “Herr Reichsfuhrer, will you meet us in Switzerland to lead us to Argentina?” “Ja,” Himmler replied, eyes darting nervously. “I will meet you at my villa in the Alps. Remember, the Banque de Suisse in Basel, and ask for Herr Rothstein. The code word for our operation is Odessa. Rothstein will know what to do with the gold” He turned and quickly walked to his command car and sped from the SS base. Hoffman stood dumbfounded, his right arm thrown forward in a sieg heil salute, and watched the Reichsfuhrer’s car disappear down the mountain road. ******************************************************************************